The Barney Way: Lent 2023

BARNEY

WAY

HEADMISTRESS’S WELCOME

Another wonderful term has chalked up a host of memorable moments for children, staff and families and I hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as I have.

Our Lent Term The Barney Way captures some of the highlights including Prep School being transformed into the Deep Blue Sea and a beautiful meadowed garden for our Year 3 and 4 drama production of 'The Bee Musical'.

Broadening young minds remains central to learning at Prep School and, to this end, pupils enjoyed trips to France, along with daytime trips to Tynemouth and Hull. Musical maestros entertained us with several Teatime Concerts and a Spring Concert performance to remember and pupils’ keenness to support charitable causes was seen in a successful Red Nose Day.

In addition to this, our sporting successes went from strength to strength including our first ever entry to the IAPS National Cross-Country Championships.

Children and staff continue to apply themselves enthusiastically to all aspects of School life, which is a joy to witness, and the reason Prep School remains such a happy and dynamic place in which to learn.

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I hope everyone thoroughly enjoys reading and reliving the moments that for me are a snapshot of what I believe to be the uniquely Barney Way.

Meet your Lent Term Head Boy and Girl, Head of Houses, Monitors and Year 6 Councillors!

Well done, Eco Warriors!

Prep School’s Eco Warriors firmly answered the call to arms in the fight to make the world a greener place, after implementing a number of sustainable initiatives during the Lent Term.

Supported by Mrs Shearn and Mrs Raper, the children planted scores of trees in Forest School and throughout our entire site. In a bid to retain our Green Flag status, Preppies have also undertaken a variety of projects, including regular litter picks and initiatives designed to minimise waste.

We are grateful for the collective support in making Barney a better, greener place, and look forward to continuing and developing further projects for many more years to come.

Bravo, Preppies!

We were thoroughly entertained over the course of an enriching Lent Term as the Barney community was treated to several concerts involving our aspiring musicians in Prep School. The newly introduced Teatime Concerts have been a huge success, with children growing in confidence and honing their skills as they performed in front of audiences. It was especially heartening to see plenty of collective support from our pupils to one another throughout both of the concerts, exemplifying 'The Barney Way' beautifully. Later in the term, March’s Spring Concert was a joy to behold as pupils from Prep and Senior School combined to deliver amazing performances in the final week of term.

Well done to all musicians for their courage and exceptional performances. Our thanks to Mr Dawson and the entire Music department for arranging these events and for supporting the children during rehearsals.

Teatime ConcertJanuary 2023

Teatime ConcertMarch 2023

Spring ConcertMarch 2023

Prep School celebrates World Book Day and National Storytelling Week

Preppies enjoyed a special week as the children commemorated National Storytelling Week with a vast array of fun and enriching activities and workshops. Perhaps the highlight of the week was when we welcomed renowned poet and international storyteller John Row to Prep School, who visited each year group and delivered tailored workshops, inspiring the children with his storytelling. Reception and Year 1 were also treated to a ‘VIP’ visit when Mr Jackson joined them in the afternoon to share his favourite stories, while Mrs Turner read to Preppies in Years 2-6 in the comfort of their reading areas in each classroom. Furthermore, Miss Heil told the story of Hansel and Gretel in German, explaining to the children that many traditional tales originated in Germany. It was especially heartening to see the children participate in ‘Preppie Paired Reading’ where pupils of all ages were mixed to share moments of listening and talking through their favourite stories.

Later in the Lent Term, Preppies enjoyed celebrating World Book Day and our ‘We are Readers’ theme. The children (and staff!) got firmly in the spirit as they were dressed in some fantastic costumes of various characters from books they have enjoyed reading. Our celebrations first began in February as we hosted a ‘Readathon’ with all money raised supporting books in hospitals for children via the charity, Read for Good. We are grateful for our community’s support of this initiative, which raised in excess of £1,700! The children enjoyed these wonderful experiences, and we are excited to celebrate World Book Day and all other enriching educational initiatives in the future!

Wellbeing Week

Preppies spent Wellbeing Week boosting their mental health and lifting spirits in the community, as they took part in a range of activities designed to fortify their resilience and give them the tools to cope with modern living.

Move It Monday saw them take to the sports hall for a fun workout, while Teamwork Tuesday involved them in drama rehearsals for their House Drama productions.

We Like to Help Wednesday came in the form of a bric-a-brac sale of toys, books, jigsaws, games, organised by the School Council, which raised £297 for the RNLI charity after children were inspired by the country’s first all-female lifeboat crew at Cullercoats in Northumberland.

Thoughtful Thursday encouraged pupils to have a kind word for the people around them and they also produced 172 special cards featuring positive messages to send out to elderly residents of local homes as well as businesses in the town. Braving the snowy conditions one Saturday morning in March, several Preppie boarders made many people’s days as they visited Barnard Castle town centre to deliver the cards - our thanks to Mrs Taylor and Mrs Chapman for chaperoning.

Friendship Friday reinstated traditional games to the playground including the farmer in the den, oranges and lemons and what’s the time Mr Wolf?

Safer Internet Day

Prep School learnt all about computing and digital devices on Safer Internet Day, as Mrs Small led an informative day of learning. She delivered an assembly about the internet, including its benefits but also any potential dangers and risks for people to be aware of, especially children.

Each class then produced a series of videos featuring Preppies about their discussions, which you can watch by scanning the QR code. Well done to everyone for embracing the day and this very important initiative.

Sporting success!

Over the course of the Lent Term we have celebrated many individual and team successes from across a range of sports, which is testament to our Preppies’ commitment and determination combined with coaching from our dedicated sport staff members.

In Equestrian, Amelia realised one of her ambitions as she represented England at an event in Scotland at the start of 2023. A member of the School’s Equestrian team, she now hopes to ride in the Horse of the Year Show, the London International Horse Show and to compete in the Olympics, and we wish her all the very best of luck with what is shaping up to be a promising career in the sport.

Later in the term, a team of six Preppies competed in the prestigious IAPS National Cross-Country Championships in Ipswich, finishing fourth and in the top 20 runners for their age nationally.

Rounding off Prep School’s sporting prowess, our U11 Rugby side were crowned North East Schools 7’s winners at a regional tournament held at Newcastle School for Boys in March.

Well done to everyone concerned and all staff members and coaches for devoting time to support and develop our pupils.

BEE-RILLIANT Preppies!

Children in Years 3 and 4 delivered ‘bee-rilliant’ performances in their Lent Term production of The Bee Musical! They regaled the story of Mr Waxworth's hive’s quest to convince the world about the importance of bee-ing a bee. It was the culmination of many hours of rehearsals and Preppies rose to the occasion, impressing staff, parents and their peers as they showcased their superb talents in front of a packed Atkinson Hall!

Un voyage magnifique!

Fifty enthusiastic Year 5 & 6 Preppies and six members of staff waved goodbye to parents as they set off for France towards the end of term. The following five days were packed with many cultural experiences, new adventures and lots of fun and laughter. Our Prep School superheroes, Feelix, BeBe, Shara and Margo, joined in too as the children tested limits of courage, gratitude, humour, compassion, curiosity and much, much more throughout the trip.

Their first stop was Nausicaa, an aquarium in Boulogne sur Mer, before a fun-filled weekend that included making bread with Eric, the baker at a traditional village bakery, a guided tour around the Bayeux tapestry museum, a visit to Arromanche 360 cinema to watch a mini film about the War in Normandy. As well as a traditional Sunday market, local zoo before finishing off with a top afternoon for those thrill seekers on the Normandie Luge.

On Monday, they headed to Mont St Michel before a bit of shopping and an afternoon of outdoor games. On Monday, the children packed up and were on their way with a stop at a snail farm near Calais. The children were intrigued by the use of snail mucin as part of a regular beauty treatment, so much so, that they gave it a try by placing snails on their faces before finally embracing the cultural opportunity to sample the traditional French delicacy.

Following their time away, the children thoroughly enjoyed sharing special moments with parents at their French soirée. It was wonderful to have this residential back in the calendar following COVID and, as ever, the children were a credit to themselves, parents and the School.